This invention relates to vehicle doors.
A conventional vehicle is constructed with a plurality of openable doors. Each door is typically mounted on hinges within a door opening. The frame of a door opening generally includes a resilient weatherstrip, which provides a seal when the door is closed. Each door also includes a latch that generally engages a striker mounted on the door opening frame to releasably hold the door in a closed position.
When a door is fully closed to its primary latched position, the door opening's weatherstrip is compressed, applying an outboard load on the door. This in turn forces the door outward, causing the door latch to apply an outwardly directed load on the striker. The outward seal force load in combination with compliancy of the striker mounting surface results in an outward striker displacement when the door is fully closed as compared to its door-open, no-load position.
The energy stored in the displaced striker is released the instant the door latch mechanism is unlatched to open the door. This results in vibration of the striker assembly and resonation of the striker mounting surface on the vehicle door opening frame. The resultant resonation and accompanying sound generated thereby can be objectionable from the standpoint of perceived vehicle quality.
The sound made by a vehicle's door when opening and closing is a characteristic often identified with the quality of a vehicle's construction. Therefore, the quality of the sound generated by the opening and closing of all doors is important. It is known that rear doors commonly have a lower quality door closing and opening sound characteristic than front doors. The lower quality opening sound generated by rear doors is partially due to the higher compliancy exhibited by the striker mounting surface on the rear door frame as compared to that of a front door.
Conventionally, the resonation, which generates objectionable sound upon opening a door, is eliminated or reduced by reinforcing the vehicle door opening frame. With rear doors, reinforcements are welded at the back-body pillar to reduce the compliance of the vehicle door frame. Optionally, or in addition to adding reinforcement, vibration dampening pads may be added to the door opening frame to attenuate objectionable sounds.
This conventional method of addressing the problem is somewhat costly. Therefore, an improved method of dampening the vehicle door opening pillar vibration to attenuate the associated sound is required.